These Mean Streets
by TragediesPainfulKiss
Summary: Slytherin life in Knockturn Alley. Severus helps a desperate Sirius by helping get in touch with his inborn Slytherin traits. NO SLASH


Knockturn Alley was just as much a home to Severus as Spinner's End was, as he felt comfortable in the darkness and shadows both provided. Hogwarts was _great_, but he could hardly ever fall as if he was _welcomed _there as scrutinizing and judging eyes followed him everywhere in those corridors- he could hardly stomach it.

No, the sketchy streets were the places for him. He belonged in the shadows and darkness. Away from anything good...far away from anything pure that he might accidentally taint. He'd ruined enough lives already, hadn't he? Despite what Albus thought, there could be no redemption for someone as wretched as him. Severus had long come to terms with that fact, and it was almost comforting to know the outcome of his fate- no matter how abysmal it was, it was certain. And if there was one thing Severus craved, it was his certainty and control. Both being lifelines he clung unto tightly, along with his pride and knowledge. No one could take those from him. _No one_.

Severus stepped into the street, relaxing as the feeling of belonging crept into his tired and aching body. Casting a quick glance around for any hidden aurors, he finally lowered his hood, the setting sun signalling it was not time for Knockturn Alley to come to life. The Ladies of the Night huddled up together in front of the Coffin House, gossiping heartily before they would have to split up and go with their respective customers. The shops in the area placed 'closed' signs on the doors, warding off any of the very few conscientious customers that stopped by during the day, so that the shop owners could pull out even darker and more illegal items for the darker wizards and witches to buy. Any second now, the street would be filled with said people, eager to buy and associate with their own kind; without the fear of arrest as Knockturn Alley had slowly and insidiously grew into more just one meager little area, and was not comprised of an entire block. A block that no lighter wizard or witch _dared _to get into after dark anymore, not even the meddlesome aurors. Knockturn Alley was now everything a child ever feared about the night and more.

He made his way through the area easily, knowing it well enough to traverse it blindly, while the stench that filled the space found its way easily into his crooked nose. It was the acrid stench of powerful alcohol (a smell he had become accustomed to since birth, thanks to his father) combined with the various perfumes of the streetwalkers, and the aroma of dust and rotting, mildewy wood. It was an order similar to that of Spinner's End, the only difference being that there was not the foul order of a polluted river mixed into the fray.

Dodging the several puddles of vomit, and a few puddles of fresh blood, Severus finally arrived at his destination. A tiny, crumbling shack that was in poor shape for even Knockturn Alley standards. But it was _his _shack, and it hadn't even cost him a knut. He had simply taken to using the abandoned place to sell his wares when he tired of using a rickety table that could hardly hold even a _third _of his merchandise. As it was, he _still _had trouble getting all his product to fit in the shelves behind him and had to carefully strategize to get it all inside.

He needn't wait long for a customer, he never did. While Mr. Mullpepper's apothecary did sell plenty of potions of the dark variety, Severus dared to push the envelope and sell the things that aging man refused to now that the rumors spread that there were spies in their midst, eager to narc. And sure, they _could _go to Borgin and Burkes, but the quality of _their _potions was not as great, and one could buy from Severus's wears for a slightly cheaper price. Granted, his competitors had not been amused at first, but they had gradually come to accept that they could still make good money selling everything else they offered.

Cateline Dubois, a Slytherin that had had the misfortune of falling from grace and was now forced to work the streets for a living, made her way over the front of his decrepit shack and rested her arms on the counter as she leaned in toward Severus. "I need the pink potion." She whispered, her slight French accent thickening with her embarrassment as she asked for what was effectively a gonorrhea banshinging potion.

There was no judgement at all from Severus as he discreetly passed the bottle over to her and she slipped it into her pockets. She had to pay her bills somehow, right? It was a victimless career, and in all other aspects, Cateline was quite a proper lady.

"Here." The blonde woman fished about in her lacy brassiere, pulling out three galleons (around $25) and dropped the money into his outstretched palm. Most would have flinched as the currency touched their flesh, as surely it was tainted with the sweat and fluids of her trade, but Severus hardly cared. Money was money, and that was all there was to it. She could hardly humiliate herself by going to St. Mungo's, nor could she afford the exorbitant amount of money they charged. And he wasn't going to turn away hard-earned money. Business was business, not matter how immoral the self-righteous might see it as. If anything, she and her co-workers kept him in business.

It wasn't long after that she went off on her way to her prime spot near the entrance to Knockturn Alley, that Severus began to be flooded with customers. Not that it was unusual for him to have a steady flow, but tonight was Mischief Night. A night where witches and wizards from _all _across the world piled into Knockturn Alley.

"Severus!" Isolda Carrow grinned a friendly smile at her former housemate before reaching into her robes to pull out a pink vial. "Saved this just for you." She admitted. "What can I get in return?" She waggled the viscous liquid, the contents within still shining despite the starless and nearly moonless night.

"Unicorn blood." Severus allowed her a very tiny smirk, before reaching into his pocket to pull out a vial of his own for trade. He held it in front of her nose, delighting when she quickly yanked it from his hand and shoved the unicorn blood in it's place.

"Unicorn blood for Basilisk blood, seems a fair trade to me." She agreed, as both of them quickly pocketed the extremely illegal, and rare, substances. "I'll see you at Aberforth's tonight when you close up shop." She smiled again, before hurrying off through the crowd to do who-knew-what.

Severus did not feel any guilt selling his gruesome wares. He was simply the seller and not the user of such things. He felt no more guiltier than Ollivander should when someone committed murder or torture with one of the wands he had made. Besides, even if _he _didn't sell them, he knew his customers would buy elsewhere and would likely end up with defective items that were deadlier than intended. His loyal customers lined up to buy _specifically _from him, and in return, he always made sure to deliver.

He didn't have to wait long until his imperious potions flew off his shelves. A potent potion he, himself, had developed many long years ago. More powerful than the spell, it was easier to administer and longer-lasting. Each tiny vial of that potion sold for 80 galleons apiece. The dozen of so other of its kind were gone gone before an hour had passed, and a full-fledged brawl had broken out after a large man knocked a thinner one out cold before taking the last vial as prize.

Four extremely strong and love-lasting love potions had quickly been bought up by a young woman Severus was sure was a Gryffindor graduate from three or four years back. He had marked those up extremely high, as she was lion, and earned himself 25 galleons.

A bottle of 'perfume' which was really as gas that made its wearer extremely susceptible to suggestion caused a bidding war that nearly turned deadly. In the end, Severus was awarded with 25 galleons for the bottle and two witches and five wizards were severely injured. It was a relieved man who walked away with a bounce in his step, eager to 'gift' the perfume to his wife, whom Severus was informed, was a 'complete bint of late, and not putting out.'

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Sirius took great care to hide his face from the crowd as he walked into Knockturn Alley, careful not to be discovered for fear he'd be lynched on the spot by those who would quickly recognize him as someone who worked for the Light. Not that death would be unwelcomed to the life of poverty he was living now.

Azkaban...cold and dark Azkaban, everything he had ever feared as a child and more. And it had not been the cold nor the dark that hurt him most, nor was it the hopelessness. It was the abandonment. Even now, as a 'free' man with his name 'clear,' the people he had once considered mates refused to allow him back into their lives. He was a marked man, stigmatized for life, and the betrayal and isolation only made his feelings of abandonment strengthen.

If it weren't for Remus, he'd have no ties back to his former life; a life that had been full of fun and adventure and girls. _Plenty _of girls, girls who had lusted madly after him while the boys looked on in envy. Sirius had once been a king among men, loved by all save for a few jealous dozen. He was nothing but a pauper now.

He had nothing now; no fans, no lovers, no popularity. This was not how life was supposed to have turned out for him. The world that once been his oyster, now seemed eager to destroy him. He was no longer delivered things on silver platters, and the handouts had stopped coming, and Sirius hardly knew how to deal with that. He no longer had the support of dozens of friends to help him out either, all there was was Remus, and he was just as bad off as he was. The only difference being that Remus knew how to survive without a fortune and without tons of support. How had he not noticed how spoiled he had been? How dependant he was on his popularity and good looks? Why hadn't he listened to the few who dared insinuate he'd never be able to make it on his own?

Fudge may have signed the legal document freeing him, but Sirius's money was still tied up and the ministry kept finding ways to hinder its return to Sirius. A job...everyone kept telling him to get a job, insisted it would give him meaning and would provide him with an income. Sirius scowled in the dark. What job was there for him other than an auror? A career very much out of the question now. A job, as if those were just lying about everywhere, waiting to be snatched up by eager men and women. Who would even higher him? He had no experience, and most importantly, he was almost certain he had been blacklisted by his reputation. No one reputable would ever hire him. He had been looking for _months_ with no luck. Even _Remus_, with all the prejudice about werewolves, had managed to find work at the ministry as an entry level bookkeeper.

Sirius was at the bottom now, and though he would never admit it, he was desperate. And desperate times called for desperate measures, didn't they? Wasn't that what MOther had always droned on about? If nobody _respectable _would give him a job, he was going to look elsewhere. He needn't tell anyone who he worked for, after all, and the despicable people who he would work for wouldn't dare breath a word less they incriminate themselves. It was as good a plan as Sirius could come up with, and he really did need to make money soon. He was starving, and he hated to live off charity. He was a _man_, an able-bodied one at that, and he was _going _to work. Hopefully Knockturn Alley would have something for him. He just had to go about finding employment intelligently, for one slip up could cause him his life in this hellhole.

"Lovely ladies! Lovely ladies over here!"

Sirius had been walking quickly, his face turned to the floor, when he heard someone calling out to him. He looked up to see a group of whores, faces heavily painted and nearly unrecognizable in the dark.

"We'll love you till you're broke." One of them ( a blonde) purred, grabbing his collar in a very flirtatious manner.

"We've been waiting for a bite for a good five minutes now." A short one pouted, snaking around behind him to wrap bony arms around his stomach.

"You can have us any way you'd like." The youngest-looking one of them all insisted. "Standing up _or _lying down."

"Don't touch me!" Sirius growled, yanking away from the women who seemed to be around his age. "Leave me alone!"

"You're so uptight." The short one smiled, resting a hand above his knee. "Let us help you."

"Long time, short time, _any _time." The blonde offered, long lashes battering seductively. "Though it cost you a little if you want to take your time." She winked.

"I said no." Sirius barked. Even if he _had _the money, he wouldn't be spending it on something like this.

"Oh come now," The young one scolded, "Even _kings_ need to pay for it, _sometimes_."

"I'm not paying for it at _all_." Sirius snapped, trying to keep the short whores hand from dipping into his pants.

"Come on, why all the fuss?" The blonde demanded, puffing out her lips in a mock pout.

"You're no grander than the rest of us." The young woman insisted, sounding insulted.

"I'm not the one walking the streets for money." Sirius sneered, flinching when Short One wiggled her hand inside his pants.

"Life's dropped you at the bottom of the heap." Blond growled, gesturing at his dirty robes. "Why else would you be here?"

"Show us what you've got." Short One begged, clearly desperate for the money. "You can have the lot us."

"Don't be embarrassed." Blonde was back to using her sweet tone of voice. "We take all sorts of men."

"All kinds of scum." Short One nodded. "Poor men, rich men." She stepped closer to him, her perfume nearly overpowering on his empty stomach. "All it takes," She purred, "Is money

in our hands."

"You'd best make up your mind soon." Young One warned. "We've got a lot of callers."

"Shove off, leave me be." Sirius warned, losing his patience with the insistent girls.

"Come on," Blonde pleaded. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a girl who won't refuse?"

"I said no!" Sirius barked again, yanking away from the girls in a very rough manner. Usually he'd be more chivalrous, but he was starving and broke and his pride was suffering. The whores had plenty of other customers, there was no reason to harass him.

Storming away, he had only gone a few more paces, before stopped by an ancient man with milky eyes that might have once been green. "What lovely locks you've got there! What luck, I've got. It's worth five galleons if you give me the lot!" The stooped-back man actually had the nerve to reach out stroke a few strands of the overly long hair that had fallen free from the hood.

"Don't touch me! Leave me alone!" He smacked the hand away, but the man seemed unphased.

"Let's make a price. I'll give you all of ten galleons, just think of that." He said eagerly, making Sirius wonder what need he could possibly have for hair. Polyjuice potion, perhaps? A dark potion? Whatever it's intended use was, Sirius was in need of money. And it wouldn't be him making such dark things...he'd just be providing the ingredients...that was a lot less worse, wasn't it?

"Ten galleons?" He repeated, the amount sounding like music to his ears.

"More than a fair enough trade, I should think." The hunched man nodded.

"Fine." He spat. "Take it." What use was all this hair to Sirius who liked to keep it short anyways? It hardly held any sentimental value.

"Good choice, good choice."

The old man's voice was almost perverted, but Sirius lowered his hood, taking care to keep his face aimed down at the dirty street. He set his jaw as the man hacked away his black locks with a dull knife, making the process rather painful as he yanked and tore and chopped with little care. What little hair he had left after the procedure was ragged and choppy, but Sirius hardly cared. He had his ten galleons, didn't he?

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to part with any teeth, child?" The old man's breath was foul, making Sirius's stomach churn.

"You can't have my _teeth_." Sirius hardly believed the man could ask the question so casually, and Sirius wondered how many people were willing to do so as the man acted like it was a daily occurrence.

"It's fifteen galleons a tooth." The creepy man reasoned, depositing Sirius's hair into a rucksack.

"I _need _my teeth." Sirius said dryly.

"The pain won't last." The blind man countered. "I'll even let you chose which ones you want to part with."

Sirius blinked. He had thought the man wanted _all _his teeth. He swallowed. He needed more money, and he could surely part with a tooth or two, couldn't he? He still had his wisdom teeth, having never bothered to remove them...didn't those need to come out anyways?

"I'll go fast." The foul-breathed man clearly wanted those teeth badly. "It's worth the money."

Sirius swallowed his pride. "Just the back ones."

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"Aurors! Aurors!"

Severus jerked violently, dropping the vial he was handing over to a customer, when the raspy voice called out a much dreaded warning. Seconds later a loud clanging filled the dark night, a warning system set into place for this very scenario. He wasted no time in hurrying from his shack and out into the crowd that was now frantically heading away from the aurors. Screams of pain rang out in the night, as hexes and jinxes flew into the stampeding crowd.

"Flagro!" The voice came from a voice Severus thought he recognized, and seconds later smoke filled the small area of rushing bodies. "Flagro!" The incantation that started fires was called again, and Severus doubted it was the Darker witches and wizards casting them. They would not set their own homes and storms ablaze.

He coughed as the smoke grew to suffocating proportions and shoved his way to the left as the crowd scattered, everyone smart enough to know that the aurors were trying to herd them like sheeps to the other exits and apprehend them there. Jumping over a puddle of vomit, he turned sharply- coming face to face with an auror, her wand in his face.

"Stop!" She ordered, her face contorting flush with excitement that she might catch herself a criminal.

"I don't think so." He sneered, taking off before the woman even had time to blink.

"Stop!" She took off in hot pursuit of him, and Severus cursed her stubborness. He really didn't feel up to a game of chase.

"Religo!" She screeched, effectively binding his arms behind his back with rope before he could even counter the spell.

Thinking quickly as always he shoved his way into a through a crowed, emerging on the other side, only to realized that Knockturn Alley was quickly becoming swamped with aurors as this was clearly going to become the biggest bust of the year. He could hardly turn his head in any direction without seeing an auror making an arrest, or taking off in pursuit of a target.

In relief he noticed a crumbling house a few feet away, and he quickly took off, shoving the door open with a shoulder just as the auror woman from before spotted him. Cursing loudly, he hurried into the dusty house, and up the steps. He was halfway of the stairs when the auror woman busted in with two more of her colleagues in tow, and he cursed loudly as a hex flew by his ear. Skipping steps he ran as he had never run before and hurried into bathroom on the left, dropping to the floor and rolling under the tiny space beneath the ancient tub.

Trying hard to quite his panting, he had never been over athletic, he struggled to wiggle his wand from his pocket with no hands. Squirming as much as he dared, he tried valiantly to remove his wand with his teeth. To chagrin it fell, but rolled away, lost to Severus in the darkness. He had been fumbling around for it best he could when the door creaked open.

"Cara!" A man yelled. "This place is ablaze! We have to get out _now!_"

"Not until I get him!" She coughed.

Severus held his breath. He was in a very serious predicament. He may have been a skilled wizard, but even he wasn't amused to the dangers of smoke inhalation of skin-searing fire. But he certainly wasn't going to hand himself over, that was not the Slytherin way.

Crash! The sound of the stairway crumbling filled the tiny bathroom, and Severus's eyes burned as the smoke crept closer to the floor. It was getting hard to breathe.

"Damn it, Billy! Just grab her!"

"Don't you da-"

Severus didn't get to hear the end of that conversation as the sound of apparition filled the bathroom, hardly audible over the sound of the crackling fire. With renewed fervor, Severus kicked his boots off, feeling around with his toes for his wand. Splinters jabbed into his foot, but he kicked all over, finally relaxing when he felt the length of wood. Holding it as tightly as he was able between his big toe and index toe, he concentrated heavily and appirated away as the fire forced its way into the room he had been hiding in.


End file.
